Cuomo signs law to restore voting rights to parolees immediately after prison release

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed a law that will automatically restore voting rights for people upon being released from prison. 

"I strongly believe that restoring the right to vote to people who have paid their debt to society strengthens our democracy, promotes successful reentry into the community, and makes New York a safer and fairer place to live," Cuomo said in a statement.  The new law codifies a practice that has been in place in New York since Cuomo issued an executive order in 2018 allowing people on parole to have their voting rights restored with his approval. More than 67,000 New Yorkers released on parole had their voting rights restored, according to a Cuomo spokesperson.